Mounting for latch handles and the like



Feb. 4, 1930. I L. OTTINGER MOUNTING FOR LATCH HANDLES AND THE LIKE Original Filed March 3. 1924 Illl 1 V INVENTOR Jwl2 %;ner

. ATT NEY handle shaft in a definite angularly project- Patented Feb. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES LEON OTTINGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

mounrme r03. LATCH HANDLES AND mn'nrxn PATENT OFFICE Original application filed March 3, 1924, Serial No. 696,426. Patent No. 1,641,988, dated September 13, v

1927. Divided and this application filed March 11, 1927. Serial No. 174,494.

This invention relates to improved mounting for latch handles and the like, and constitutes a division of my patent issued September 13, 1927, No. 1,641,988, and broadly considered has for its primary object and purpose to provide an improved bearing-support for the handle shaft at the outer face 0 of the door which will yieldably maintain the ing relation to the face of the door and cushion or absorb vibratory movement of the shaft relative to the latch rollback with which it is connected, and which will also adapt or accommodate itself to a possible Widely offset or eccentric relation between the shaft receivingopening through the door and the bore ,or opening of the latch 'rollback in which the end of the handle shaft is rigidly secured. y

In my patent above identified, I disclose several embodiments of the latch handle mounting, in one of which an annular flexible bearing element is mounted in an escutcheon or other supporting member fixed to the outer side of the door, said element being formed of felt or other yieldable or compressible material and being held by said supporting memberagain'st bodily shifting movement in its own plane. In another alternative arrangement as shown in said application, the yieldable shaft hearing or supporting element is arranged in the escutcheon member for bodily shifting movement relative to the latter in its own plane and to an eccentric position relative to the opening through, the

door. The subject matter of this application is confined'tothe last referred to construction which'in some instances it may be found essential to employ in order to enable the handle shaft to be assembled with the latch mechanism and at the same time insure the free and un'retarded operating rotation of the shaft.

It is therefore a more particularly object of the present invention to provide a yield-. able or comformable bearing or support easily applicable to the door structure and particularly desirable when, owing to carelessness on the part of the workman, the opening through the outer side of the door through the annular compressible bearing element and its inner end connected with the latch rollback, the axis of the shaft is posi- RussuEu tioned at other than an angle of 90 with respect to the plane of said bearing element so that in the act of inserting the shaft, as it frictionally engages the inner wall of the bearing element, said element is subjected to a twisting or distorting pressure tending to position said element in a plane at right angles to the shaft axis, and thereby causing the outer edge portion of the bearing element at its opposite sides to very tightlybind against the spaced walls of the escutcheon or supporting member. However, the inner part of the bearing element adjacent to the shaft which is not held between the walls of the escutcheon or supporting member may have a relative flexing movement sufficient to yieldingly cushion or absorb any vibratory movements transmitted to the shaftthrough the door structure and prevent noise incident to. rattling metallic contact between said shaft and the escutcheon member.

With the above and other objects in view, 1

the invention consists in the improved latch handle mounting and in the form, construc- I lC-C back before the handle shaft is inserted and connected to the latter;

Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view showing the operative position of the flexible shaft bearing or supporting element after the signed with respect to its application and use in connection with the latch handles of automobile doors, though it may also be advantageously applied to various other analogous uses where a simple and efficient bearing support for the operating shaft extending throughan opening in the door or other structure 1s desired.

In the manufacture of automobiles, the

latch for the door is secured to the inner side thereof before the handle receiving opening is drilled and the operating handle inserted and connected with the latch rollback. In recent years, many'of the automobile manufacturers have adopted the all metal type of body, including the doors which are provided with inner and outer stamped sheet metal plates secured upon a suitable mar ginal frame structure. Since the latch roll back is located at the inner side of the door and said door is of appreciable thickness, it not infrequently occurs, that through carelessness on the part of the workman, when the opening is drilled through the outer door plate, it is found that the center of said opening is considerable out of alignment with the center of the bore or opening of the latch rollback. Since the-position of the latter opening in which the inner end of the handle shaft is to be fitted and rigidly secured determines the angle at which the shaft will project through said opening in the outer door plate, it will be apparent thatsaid latter opening and the shaft will be in eccentric relation to each other. porting means for the shaft-which is secured to the outer door plate around said opening has its shaft engaging surface positioned in a plane which is parallel with the plane of the door-plate and concentric with said opening, it will be apparent that if it is possible to insert the shaft through the bearlng member and connect the same with'the rollback, the said shaft would have such severe binding or frictional engagement with the supporting or bearing member as would prevent its free operative rotation. the degree of eccentricity which the opening in the outer door plate may bear with relation to the opening of the rollback is variable, it would not be possible to provide a non-yielding bearing or support of special Therefore, if the sup-' Since construction for the shaft which would be applicable in all cases. The present invention obviates this difficulty and provides adevice which will permit of the operative connection of the shaft with the rollback and its free rotation even in those cases where there is a relatively great mis-alignment be-v secured to a frame generally indicated at 5. To this plate and the inner side plate of the door the latch 6 of any. approved type is secured, the latch mechanism including the customary actuating rollback 7.

The outer side plate 8 of the door structure which is usually positioned at a slight inclination with respect to the inner door plate so that the door slightly tapers or decreases in thickness towards its free edge is adapted to be provided with an opening therethrough for the purpose of assembling the latch handle shaft. This opening indicated at 9 should be in exact alignment with the bore or opening of the rollback 7. As indicated in the drawing however, it not infrequently occurs that due to carelessness on the part ofthe workmen, the center of this opening through the outer door plate is greatly out of alignment with the center of the opening through the rollback. Therefore, when the shaft 10 of the latch handle 11 is fitted at its inner end within the bore of the rollback and rigidly fixed by the screw 12 or other convenient fastening means, the saidshaft will bear an eccentric relation to the opening 9. Since this shaft is of an appreciable length and it has a fixed connection at its inner end to the rollback, it is of course necessary to provide a bearing or support for said shaft at the outer side of the door. Unless this bearing is of special form so that it may be secured to the door plate 8 which is positioned in a plane at other than a right angle to the handle shaft, adequate support for the shaft which would at the same time permit of its free rotation would not be obtained. Therefore, I provide the escutcheon member 13 as in my co-pending application which is formed from a sheet metal stamping and is provided with a hollowannular head having inner and outer spaced parallel walls 14 and 15 respectively, said inner wall being provided at its inner edge with a projecting sleeve indicated at 16 which is adapted. to be inserted through the opening-9 and interlocked with the door plate 8 at the edge of annulus of yieldable or compressible material. Preferably, I use a high grade of felt having very closely knit fibers impregnated with an animal oil for the purpose of rendering the same substantially water-proof. This annular bearing element as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, has an outer diameter which is appreciably less than the internal diameter of the annular head 13 of the escutcheon member and an internal diameter which is appreciably less than the internal diameter of the sleeve 16: The bearing element 17 is of such thickness, that in its normal condition, the outer part thereof has snug frictional contact with the opposed surfaces of the inner and outer walls 14 and 15 of the escutcheon member. Said bearing element may however, have a bodily shifting movement-under pressure in its own plane between said walls of the escutcheon member.

Assuming that the opening 9 has been drilled through the outer door plate in substantially the eccentric relation with respect to the bore or opening of the rollback 7 as shown in the drawing and that the bearing element 17 is in a normal position substantiallyin concentric relation to the escutcheon 'as indicatedin Fig. 1 by member which has been applied and secured to the door plate 8, it will be observed from reference to Fig. 1 that the bearing element 17 is positioned in a vertical plane substantially parallel with the face of the door plate 8 and at right angles to the axis of the opening 9 the broken line AA. Therefore, when the handle shaft 10 is. inserted, as the extremity thereof enters the bore of the rollback 7 and the enlarged cylindrical part of the shaft as shown in Fig. 2 enters the opening of the bearing element 17, the lateral pressure of the handle shaft against the wall of said opening causes the bearing element to be shifted bodily in its own 15 of the escutcheon to an eccentric position with relation to said escutcheon. At the same time, owing to the frictional engagement of the periphery of the shaft with the bearing element, said element if it were 'not held between the walls 14 and 15 would assume a postion in a plane at right angles to the axis of the shaft as indicated in Fig. 2 by the broken line B-B. This results in the tendency of the shaft to twist or distort the flexible bearing element and causes the side plane between the spaced walls 14 and faces of said bearing element at the outer tive yielding motion with respect to said.

member as will effectively cushion or absorb any vibratory motions of the handle shaft which may be transmitted thereto through the door structure and prevent metallic contact'between said shaft and the sleeve 16 or the edge of the opening in of the escutcheon member. Therefore, it will be seen that I obtain all the advantageous results of the construction claimed in my 00.- pending application above identified and wherein the bearing element is fixedly held against bodily movement relative to the escutcheon member, and at the-same time I make it possible to utilize such a bearing element in those cases, where due to the relatively great mis-alignment between the centers' of-.,the opening 9 in the door plate and the opening through the rollback sufiicient flexibility with the requisite resistance to Wear could not be secured in the fixed type of bearing, without impressing upon the shaft such severe frictional resistance to its operative rotation as would render the same commercially undesirable. It will also be noted that in the event of wear at the bearings of the rollback 7 in the walls of thelatch case, the yieldable bearing element 17 acting upon the shaft at the outer side of the door will yieldably resist any tendency of the inner end of the shaft and rollback to vibrate and will support the shaft normally in a definite angular position with respect to the door structure. It will further be observed that the bearing element 17 is comparatively ,thin so that notwithstanding the fact that this'element is composed of a hard tightly knit felt, the inner unsecured part thereof will possess sufiicient flexibility for the intended pur ose.

In Fig. 4 I have shown an alternative orm of the shaft bearing or supporting member, in which the outer part of the annular body of felt or other yieldable material which is frictionally confined between the inner and outer walls of the escutcheon head is encased in a thin sheet of metal as indicated at 18. This permits of greater freedom in the sliding or shifting coaction between the bearing and the escutcheon memberand also makes it possible to employ a somewhat cheaper grade of felt. It will however, be noted that in this case the inner-part of the felt bearing element projects beyond the inner edges ofthe side flan es of the metal 18 and remains free for re ative flexing or cushioning movement to yieldingly resist vibratory motion of the shaft and sustain the same out of contact with the escutcheon member.

the outer wall 15- From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is believed that the construction, manner of application and use and the several advantages of my present invention will be fully understood. By the provision of such a flexible bearing element with means for supporting the samein attached relation to the outer face of the door for bodily shifting movement as the shaft is inserted and connected with the latch rollback, I am enabled to provide a proper and adequate support for the shaft although the opening in the door plate may be inaccurately located, and without necessitating the use of an especially formed shaft bearing member or alteration of such members as maybe carried in stock. At the same time, my new bearing insures an absence'of the metallic rattling noise incident to contact between the handle shaft and the metallic supporting or bearing member as well as an appreciable economy in this item of automobile manufacture and greater facility in the assemblage of the several parts. Also, the special grade of oil impregnated felt which I employ for the bearing element 17 is of great durability, being substantially immune to deterioration by the elements, temperature changes or analogous causes and provides a substantially fluid and dust tight closure of the opening through the supporting or escutcheon member around the handle shaft.

I have herein illustrated a practical embodiment of the invention which I have found to be very desirable in actual use. Nevertheless, it is possible that the essential features of my present disclosure might also be exemplified in various other alternative constructions, and I accordingly reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes therein as may be fairly embodied Within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In combination with a door structure having a latch secured upon the inner side thereof and provided with a rotatable actuating member, said door being provided with an opening through which the shaft of an operating handle may be inserted and rigidly connected at one end to the latch actuating member, an annular bearing element for said shaft of yieldable material, and means for supporting said bearing element upon the outer face of the door for limited bodily movement in the plane of said element while confining said element against bodily movement axially of the shaft, said bearing element having a shaft receiving opening of appreciably less diameter than the opening in the door, whereby upon the insertion of the shaft said element may be shifted by the shaft to an eccentric position relative to said opening to permit the shaft to be connected to the actuating member, and the inner portion of said bearing element being relatively yieldable and sustaining the shaft out of contact with said supporting means.

2. In combination with a door structure having a latch on the inner side thereof provided with a rotatable actuating member and said door provided with an opening in eccentric relation to the actuating member through which an operating shaft is adapted to be inserted from the outer side of the door for connection with the actuating memher, an escutcheon member fixed to the door and surrounding said opening, an annular bearing element for the shaft of yieldable material having an outer portion frictionally confined between spaced parts of the escutcheon member for bodily shifting movement in the plane of said element, the inner diameter of said bearing element being appreciably less than the internal diameter of the escutcheon member whereby upon the insertion of the shaft through said element for connection with the latch actuating member, said bearing element may bodily shift to an eccentric position relative to the opening in the door, the inner portion of the bearing element being unconfined by the escutcheon member and yieldingly responsive to vibratory movements of the shaft to sustain the shaft out of contact with the escutcheon member.

3. In combination with a door structure having a latch secured upon the inner side thereof including a rotatable actuating memher and provided with an opening to receive an operating shaft adapted for connection to the actuating member, said opening at the outer face of the door bein in eccentric relation to the actuating member, an escutcheon member fixed to the door at the outer face thereof and having inner andouter spaced walls, an annular shaft bearing element having its outer portion frictionally confined between said Walls, the outer diameter of said element being appreciably less than the outer diameter ofsaid walls and the inner diameter of the bearing element being appreciably less than the internal diameter of the escutcheon member whereby upon the insertion of the shaft through said element, the latter may bodily shift against the frictional confining action of the escutcheon walls'to an eccentric position relative to the walls of said escutcheon member while the inner part of said element may yield relative to the escutcheon member to restrain the vibratory motion of the shaft and support the same out of contact with the escutcheon member.

4. In combination with a door structure having a latch secured upon the inner side thereof provided with a rotatable actuating member, said structure including an outer door plate positioned in an inclined plane with respect to the plane of the inner side of the door structure and said plate having an opening therethrough for the insertion of an operating shaft from the. outer side of the door for connection with said actuating memher, a supporting member fixed to said door plate at the outer face thereof and including spaced parts, an annular bearing ,element of yieldable material confined between said spaced parts of the supporting member for limited bodily shifting movement in a plane parallel With the plane of said door plate and having an internal diameter appreciably less than the diameter of the door opening Whereby upon the insertion of the shaft, said bear-- ing element may shift to an eccentric position relative to saidopening'against the frictional holding action of said spaced parts of the supporting member, and said flexible bearing element being thereby distorted about the shaft axis to cause the outer portion thereof to tightly bind against the spaced parts of the supporting member, the inner portion of said element being free for relative yielding movement and, sustaining the shaft out of contact with the supporting member.

5. In combination with a door structure having thereof member, said structure including an outer door plate positioned in an inclined plane with respect to the plane of the inner side of the door structure and said plate having an opening therethrough for the insertion of an operating shaft from the 'outer side of the door for connection with said actuating member, an escutcheon member fixed to the door plate having a hollow annular head surrounding the opening therein at the outer face of the door, an annularbearing element of flexible material having its outer portion frictionally confined between the s ac'ed I walls of said head, the outer diameter 0 said element being less than the internal diameter of said head to'permit of a limited vbodily shifting movement of said elementrin the plane of the door plate, the inner diameter of said element being appreciably less than the internal diameter of the escutcheon member' whereby When the shaft is inserted through said element, the latter may shift to an eccentric position with respect to the escutcheonvmember, said element tending to assume a position in a plane at right angles to the axis'of the shaft whereby a distorting pressure is impressed upon said element by the shaft to cause the outer portion of-said element to bind tightly against the walls of the escutcheon head, the inner portion of said element being relatively yieldable to rotatably sustain the shaft out of contact with the escutcheon member.

6. In combination with a door structure having a latch secured u on the inner side thereof including a rotata le actuating member, an operating shaft adapted to be rigidly connected at one end to said member, said door structure being provided with an opening in eccentric relation to said member at the outer face of the door, an annular bearing element of yieldable material, and means for supporting saideelement for bodily movement relative to said openin in a plane extending at other than a right angle to the shaft axis when the shaft is inserted through said bearing element, said means including parts restraining said bearing element against movement axially of the shaft and said element, upon frictional engagement of the shaft therewith, tending to assume a position in a plane at right angles to the shaft axis whereby the outer portion ,of said element is caused to tightly .bind against saidparts, the inner portion of said element being relatively yieldable upon vibratory movement of the shaft and sustaining the shaft out of contact with said supporting means and the door structure.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereto.

LEON OTTINGER.

a latch secured upon the inner side provided with a rotatable actuating 

